Beachy Head Woman
Clarifying Her Origins Using a Multiproxy Anthropological and Biomolecular Approach
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7309839 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andy Walton (0009-0003-3438-5244, Natural History Museum), William Marsh (0000-0002-8385-3169, Museum of London), Alex Strang (0009-0008-3063-203X, Museum of London), Jonathan Seaman (The Pevensey Court House Museum and Gaol), Kelly Van Doorn, Hella Eckardt (0000-0001-9288-5624, University of Reading), Caroline M Wilkinson (0000-0002-4603-5554, Liverpool John Moores University), Ian Barnes (0000-0001-8322-6918, Museum of London), Selina Brace (0000-0003-2126-6732, Museum of London, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 185 |
| Pages | 106445-106445 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Archaeological Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-4403 • E-ISSN: 1095-9238 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jas.2025.106445 |
| OpenAlex | W7115729999 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 53 |
The skeletal remains of an individual colloquially referred to as Beachy Head Woman (BHW) were re-discovered in the Eastbourne Town Hall collection in 2012, and have remained the subject of significant public interest since. Radiocarbon dating yielded a calibrated date of between 129 and 311 calCE indicating that she lived during the period of the Roman occupation of Britain and, over more than a decade, there have been several attempts to unravel her geographical origins and ancestry. Here, we present results of all bioanthropological and biomolecular analyses performed to date. Initial osteological analyses indicated possible sub-Saharan origin, with BHW thus presented as one of the earliest Africans in Britain. However, her story was complicated by subsequent (unpublished) biomolecular analyses, which suggested she likely grew up on the south coast of Britain and had recent European ancestry. Here we present high quality ancient DNA data indicating that Beachy Head Woman has a strong genetic affinity to individuals from rural Britain during the Roman occupation and modern day Britons. We find no signals of admixture that would suggest recent sub-Saharan ancestry. Phenotypic predictions suggest she had blue eyes, intermediate (between pale and dark) skin pigmentation and light hair. Combined, our multiproxy approach indicates that Beachy Head Woman was of local British ancestry.
Ancient DNA · Biological anthropology · Biological evolution · Field (mathematics · Head (geology · Interpretation (philosophy · Natural (archaeology · Osteology · Period (music) · Radiocarbon dating · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Forensic and Genetic Research · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities · Plant Taxonomy and Phylogenetics
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |